Flightless Bird
by Despondence
Summary: If perfection does not exist, she, the so-called 'perfect girl', was just a ghostly apparition then. Sometimes, he'd look at his reflection upon the mirror and all he could see was a set of different faces but not his own. But... all it takes is one stranger to make them realize who they are. Niou x OC. HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Pairing/s: **Mainly Niou x OC, Niou x OC x Yukimura  
**Genre/s: **Romance, Angst, Friendship  
**Warning/s: **OC, possible OOC, grammatical and typographical errors

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and Flightless Bird by Iron & Wine.

* * *

_"I was a quick-wit boy  
__Diving too deep for coins  
__All of your street light eyes  
__Wide on my plastic toys"_

**Flightless Bird**

o o o

**Chapter One**

o o o

The car stopped and its engine died down. The black door opened, and the warm and bright sunlight penetrated inside. After taking a deep breath, she set her feet on the ground and the scent of the sea and the sound of footsteps and whispers and a few giggles around greeted her.

"Have a nice day, Oujo-sama," she heard her butler uttered gently and pleasingly.

"Ah, yes," was her reply. "Thank you."

The old man bid her goodbye, and with a nod from his young master, he went away with the sleek black car. When the vehicle was finally out of sight, she started walking towards her school, which is Rikkaidai.

On her way, some students welcomed her. She saw smiles- either fake or genuine, she didn't know- deep frowns, hard scowls, deadly glares and delighting greetings. She just kept on walking, reciprocating them all with a sweet, superficial smile and an indifferent 'hello' and 'good morning'.

o o o

An actress roleplaying as a perfect girl, that's what she's always been.

She stood there in front of the class, her eyes facing the chalkboard and a piece of soft, whitish calcite in her right hand. The Mathematics teacher, that woman with the fake smile on a face beautified only by cosmetics, called her to solve the problem she wrote on the board. The middle-aged lady was testing her, she knew, and like the arrant student she and everyone was expecting her to be, she answered the problem with a flawless solution.

And the teacher was felicitous, since she has another student she could use for fame and recognition.

o o o

This pretender has 'friends', though they are only playacting, like video cameras are taping their actions and airing them live in televisions.

"You cooked this right, Ichinose-chan? Can I have some? They look very delicious!" A girl with doe, brown eyes said very enthusiastically, which sounded almost she was very desperate to claim her attention.

"Go ahead and have some, Wakabe-san."

Brown eyes girl was about to speak again, but another female student who claimed herself as a 'very close friend' of 'Ichinose-chan' interrupted her.

"Hey, hey! Tsukino-chan!" said student exclaimed while waving out a notebook. "Help me with my assignment, will you? I dunno how to answer it!"

Like the 'good friend' she was, she had no choice but to do it. "Oh, okay. I'll just finish my food, Shiro-san."

"Sure! Thanks, Tsuki-chan! You're the best!"

Just as she heard those last, three words, something formed upon her pink lips. It was a smile- a smile which revealed an illusion of happiness masking the apathy beneath it.

o o o

Her father, teachers, and 'friends'- almost everyone benefits from this 'perfect girl'.

_Except for her._

o o o

_"You are perfect, Tsukino."_

Her fiancé once whispered against her ear. She didn't feel surprised at all, but she appeared like that moment back when he first kissed her, and returned him an imitation of the genuine smile after that onetime kiss. She felt a tinge of guilt and sadness though, for he was purely in love with her and his words were straight from his heart. She was only pretending that she was _perfect_, and he believed in this version of her.

He wasn't aware of who she really was.

o o o

_'Perfection does not exist.'_

That thought circled in her head over and over as if it was a broken record as she lied there on the bench at the nearby garden. Her dark eyes were staring up at the light blue sky above while her mind battled itself whether that statement was true or not. It felt like there was a senatorial debate in her, like each version of her were debating to pass the bill or drop it and lay forgotten in the back of her mind. With the constant argument with herself, she was starting to feel like a headache was about to hit her, but still, the disputation continued nonstop.

Is that statement true or... is it just a lie?

She turned to the other side of the bench and her eyes stared the sight before them. Flowers of varying colors and sizes were neatly arranged by columns, and they almost appeared like a rainbow planted on the ground. Whoever was in charge of the garden around her must have strived for something- something close to perfection, maybe? The curtilage was beautiful and breathtaking. A professional gardener would break down if he saw this, and tears of joy would start streaming down on his cheeks. The gardener would declare it as a perfect masterpiece and the one who managed the garden would be very happy.

Ah, but perfection doesn't exist.

Maybe the keeper was just striving for beauty and elegance and _not_ for perfection. Why would he reach for something that didn't exist?

o o o

If perfection does not exist, she, the so-called 'perfect girl', was just a ghostly apparition then.

She decided to stay on the school's rooftop for the rest of the afternoon since her brain wasn't set for her school subjects. Her mind was currently contemplating on something. It was overly covered with a set of illusions and a band of mind tricks, and she couldn't figure them out. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't and-

"Oh, what do we have here?" A low voice suddenly interrupted her train of thoughts.

She lifted her face up to see the newcomer. Irritated since she couldn't see a clear view, she combed her hair back with her right hand. She met the gaze of a tall, platinum blue-haired guy who has a slightly raised eyebrow. It seemed that the bench was his usual spot, and he was apparently surprised to see a girl seating on it.

"Ah, I'm sorry," she said as she looked away. "I didn't know-"

"Who are you?"

Those three simple words were enough to make her greenish-blue eyes widen to their fullest extent. She was utterly dumbstricken, like a flash of lightning hit her mind and body. It was like the stranger just proclaimed her death sentence, and suddenly, her clouded thoughts went clear. Everything became crystalized to her.

_Who is she?_

* * *

**Despy's Note: **Inspired from the song _'Flightless Bird'_ by _Iron & Wine_ so... I decided to turn it into a story. Ehehe. I dunno if this is gonna be more than ten chapters though... Eh, it depends.

Anyway...

**Comments, opinions and critiques are welcome! Reviews, faves and alerts are very much appreciated! X)**

(Oh, and please tell me if my character sounds Mary Sue-ish or not...)


	2. Chapter 2

**Pairing/s: **Mainly Niou x OC, Niou x OC x Yukimura  
**Genre/s: **Romance, Angst, Friendship  
**Warning/s: **OC, possible OOC, grammatical and typographical errors

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis and Flightless Bird by Iron & Wine.

* * *

_"And when the cops closed the fair  
I cut my long baby hair  
Stole me a dog-eared map  
And called for you everywhere"_

**Flightless Bird**

o o o

**Chapter Two**

o o o

It was already 6:30 in the morning and he just woke up.

He wasn't panicking though. He was already used to it. He would only move faster than his normal pace, and voila! Before he knew it, he was already done fixing everything- his bed, his room and even himself. Physically, though. Not mentally.

No. _Never_.

Eh, who cares anyway?

After grabbing a frozen donut in the fridge, he went out to catch a bus for school. Thankfully, one happened to pass by, and it was heading for Rikkaidai. He got inside, found himself an empty seat and ate his food along the way.

Today is Monday, a school day and to others, it is a new beginning. But to him, it is just another ordinary day in his boring life.

His bored, cobalt blue eyes stared at the view outside. The sky reflected the color of the ocean and white clouds circled around the bright sun. Such a lovely view, it was, but too typical for him. His mind then started wondering when would something unusual or interesting happen in this tiresome life of his. He quickly dismissed that thought though, because he knew that it would never occur even if he actually prayed to the gods above.

He was born to live in a dull life anyway.

o o o

Even if he was the main character in his own tedious story, he was capable of spicing up the things around him.

Like for a few instances...

When their English class is as boring as hell, he would bring out something that is small yet terrifying enough to make the class go wild. A toy, like a tarantula, matched the description. He'd just make an excuse to go outside, and after he got the permission to do so, he'd pass by the teacher's desk, place the thing on it, and wait for their reactions.

If you hate someone, and you were one of his 'pals' or 'buddies' or something, just call him, since he was the perfect guy to do the job for avenging you. He already did it countless times, you know. A prank, trick or whatever it is, he'd make it without any mistakes. You have to bring him some Yakiniku for the payment though.

And finally, when he just got nothing else to do (actually, he always has a lot of things to do but, like the great and model student he is, he ignores them all), he'd dress and act like someone from Rikkai. He was just very, _very_ good to the point that he was almost like the actual person he was impersonating, and for a second there, he'd feel amused.

Ah, to think about it, he was able to bring joy and happiness, sorrow and sadness, and a lot more emotions and feelings to everyone.

So this is what a delivery guy felt like.

He was a different case, though. After all of those things he did for his self and for everyone, he didn't feel anything.

He still felt... neutral.

o o o

This is the effect of having a boring life, huh?

You'll suddenly turn into an emotionless being, like anything you do, nothing amuses or entertains and saddens or depresses you anymore.

Nothing makes you feel happy, or makes you feel like you want to smile and laugh, laugh and _laugh _like a child playing with his dearest friends.

Nothing makes you feel sad, or makes you feel like you want to break down and cry, cry and _cry_ as if you were a child who witnessed how his precious ones got taken away.

You felt completely numb, and everything around you became gray.

o o o

Like he said before, he was the main character of his own story. But... what was the story about?

He knew.

He knew what the story's main topic _before_. It was vivid in his mind, but after the prolonged dullness, he had lost vision of it. He couldn't remember a thing about what his story was about anymore.

And even though he wasn't so sure, he still continued from where he left off.

It was the part where he was acting.

Pretending.

From the other parts of the book, it said that he was already perfect, supposedly flawless, but since the author discontinued the story, he became pall and started pretending like he was someone. He didn't know who this someone was. He acted like he was cool, calm and collected. He acted like he was happy, joyful and cheerful. He acted like he was angry, hot-headed and impatient.

He went on and on, until each one of them got mixed up, and everyone- his friends, teachers, relatives, and even his family- believed that this someone- a mere compilation- was him.

o o o

When would he actually feel them?

He wanted to experience real happiness, not like how Marui receives a box of chocolates from one of his fan girls, not like how Akaya passes an English exam, not like how Yanagi acquires another set of data from his teammates and not like how Jackal gets a letter from his former coach from Brazil.

He wanted to have a taste of real sadness, not like how Yukimura couldn't play tennis because of his disease, not like how Sanada was left alone and his closest was suffering, and not like how Yagyuu finds out that his sister's life is already limited.

He wanted to feel.

He wanted real emotions.

He wanted to laugh and cry.

He knew he couldn't though.

How would he feel or experience them if he was just a fraud with no real personality?

o o o

Sometimes, he'd look at his reflection upon the mirror and all he could see was a set of different faces but not _his own_. Black hair, stoic brown eyes, red hair, playful purple eyes, brown hair, calm blue eyes...

_Where am I?_

o o o

He was certainly lost.

Like his usual routine, he'd skip one of his afternoon classes to take a nap. Plus, he really needed some to clear his mind and wash his thoughts away. He didn't want to deal with them anymore. They were just... too difficult for him to handle. He was never good at handling complicated things.

And so, he went to the school's rooftop.

Just as he got there, he became amazed by the beauty of the garden again. They were neatly arranged by columns, and the flowers' arrangement was perfect. It was like... You never have to look at the sky to find a rainbow. Just go to Rikkai's rooftop garden and you'll find one. And of course, Yukimura Seiichi, his captain, was the one who did all the job. That guy... such a perfectionist, he was.

Ah, now where is his favorite-

"Oh, what do we have here?"

There was someone sitting on the bench where he was always sleeping. The student was a girl, and _oh_, she looked like a jackpot. His eyes widened for a moment there. The girl was surely pretty, complete with the long, midnight blue hair, pinkish-white skin and-

_'...'_

His string of thoughts was suddenly cut the moment he saw her eyes. Those aquamarine orbs resembled those of a child's- wide, innocent and so, _so _confused. Those eyes reminded him of loss, confusion, bewilderment and-

They were just like _his_. Reflected in those eyes were his cobalt blue ones full of unanswered questions and ignored statements.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Who are you?"

* * *

**Despy's Note: **Fyeah Niou Masaharu. I dunno, the song really suits him. And oh, please tell me if he was in-character... I always have trouble keeping him in character. XD

Anyway...

**Comments, opinions and critiques are welcome! Reviews, faves and alerts are very much appreciated! X)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Despy's Note: **Yeah, Tsukino is the one on the cover pic. o3o

**Pairing/s: **Mainly Niou x OC, Niou x OC x Yukimura  
**Genre/s: **Romance, Angst, Friendship  
**Warning/s: **OCs, possible OOC, grammatical and typographical errors, language

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis, Uta no Prince-sama and Special A. That'll also include their characters.

* * *

**Flightless Bird**

o o o

**Chapter Three**

o o o

_"Who are you?"_

Those three words echoed inside her mind as she stared at the guy with her turquoise eyes wide from shock. To her, his question was like a thunderstorm, those words being the thunder she has always feared, the lightning which struck her very core and the rain that poured millions of thoughts and a lot more questions on her.

And for a moment there, she lost her composure and suddenly, Ichinose Tsukino became the girl opposite of her 'perfect girl' act.

She became _imperfect._

Slowly, the shock from her face turned into grieve.

_N-No... no... N-Not now... Y-You're not w-weak anymore... Stop crying! Don't let him see you like this!_

Tears sprang from the corner of her eyes.

"No, no, no... Stop, stop, stop..."

She repeated those words under her shaky breath like a mantra as Tsukino clutched her head and curled her body into a ball. Forgotten memories of her yesterday began rushing back into her mind, and a greater amount of tears flowed onto the apple of her cheeks.

She wasn't weak anymore... she wasn't frail anymore... she wasn't powerless anymore...

She wasn't _her _anymore.

"NO!"

With all the willpower she could summon, Tsukino pushed the unknown guy and without looking back, she started running away from that place.

She drew herself away from _her._

o o o

_'Weak, frail, powerless...'_

She was _weak_ and fragile like a china ware. Once upon a time, there was an unscathed little girl, but after a few years, she and along with her 'happily ever after' became shattered.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the Ichinose girl... Came here to cry, huh?"

_'Weak, frail, powerless...'_

She could never fight back.

"No one's gonna save you now, bitch!"

_'Weak, frail, powerless...' _

She was _frail_ and delicate like a French doll. Once, there was a shop wherein a doll was only made as a display, but with one bash, it'd become useless and its keeper would throw it away.

"Do you want us to ruin that fuckin' face of yours?"

_'Weak, frail, powerless...' _

She was always protected by someone.

"Where's your brother? That bastard chickened out, huh?"

_'Weak, frail, powerless...' _

She was _powerless_ and pathetic like a helpless fool. Once upon a time, there was a couple who had all the power in the world, but the woman gave birth to a child who grew up as a dependent, fallible mug.

"Bow down and beg for our mercy!"

_'Weak, frail, powerless...'_

o o o

_It was raining. Millions and billions of large, water droplets poured heavily as their sound roared inside the mansion. Massive, grey clouds began occupying the sky and soon enough, she heard thunder boomed and lightning flashed._

_The scene before Tsukino's eyes was more terrifying than the atrocious thunderstorm outside._

o o o

"NO!"

Within a mere second, Tsukino bolted upright on her bed with teal eyes wide from shock and terror. Her breath was uneven, and her chest kept on rising and falling within a fast pace. As she was awfully sweating, her whole body was also visibly shaking. Tsukino looked as if she just dreamt of an extremely horrifying nightmare, which she really did.

And subconsciously, her mind started drifting towards _those days._

o o o

1.

_A man with midnight blue hair and raging indigo eyes was violently arguing with a black-haired woman with sad yet furious cobalt blue eyes. The two would seem like models from the covers of various magazines if fury didn't destroy their pretty faces. They were debating something about the man leaving, but the woman didn't want him to do it. The man wanted to, though, for his eldest son had this crazy ambition of becoming an idol and not succeeding him as the CEO of their large, well-established company. No matter what he did, he couldn't make the boy change his mind, that's why he decided to stop wasting his time on the child and made up his mind to take his daughter with him instead. _

_"No... Akihiro, don't do this!" The woman pleaded, the rage in her eyes slowly turned into desperation. "T-There must be some-"_

_But the man didn't budge. He was calm yet he was still as furious as ever. "Maria, there's no other way."_

_"W-why?" She cried with a cracked voice, like his words finally broke the foundations of her last armor. "Why c-couldn't you just... s-stay?"_

_His hands curled into fists and they shook with great violence. "I already made up my mind. I will be leaving with Tsukino."_

_And after declaring those words, he walked towards the spot where a thirteen-year-old boy was embracing a smaller girl. He noticed the silent tears dropping from either side of those greenish-blue eyes, but nonetheless, he didn't hesitate to glare daggers at his own son. _

_"Tokiya, let go of her," his voice was serene yet deadly. "You aren't worthy of the title 'brother' to Tsukino."_

_Although the boy was obviously scared, he still had his arms wrapped around the little girl. "No! I'm not gonna let go of her!"_

_"Then... you leave me no other choice."_

_Before they knew it, the man already pushed Tokiya away Tsukino and pulled the girl towards him. Despite the constant struggling and wriggling of the girl in his arms, he didn't release her as he turned around to face the boy and his mother. _

_"You will regret this for all eternity. Goodbye."_

_And the last thing Tsukino saw before she sank into darkness was the despondence in her brother's eyes and the grief on her mother's face._

o o o

"Oujo-sama, are you alright?"

Tsukino heard the voice of her middle-aged maid and when she looked up, she saw her mother's worried expression instead of her maid's. Her eyes widened, but after a few seconds, they reverted back to its normal size with sorrow replacing the shock within them.

_'When can I see her again...?'_

"O-oujo-sama...?"

And faster than the wind, Tsukino put up the act and smiled gently at the woman.

"Yes, I'm okay," she said lightly. "Don't worry about me."

The maid seemed relieved after hearing her young master's words. "Thank goodness. Is there anything I could do for you then...?"

"Prepare the bath for me."

"Yes, my lady."

o o o

2.

_"Tsukino...? Tsukino, can you hear me?"_

_She blinked once, then twice. Her mind was currently blurry, like the window of their car when it was raining outside. She couldn't think decently, as well as her own body. Everything seemed foggy to her, that was until she saw her father's dark eyes. _

_As quick as the lightning, Tsukino perked up. _

_"Are you even listening to me?"_

_Though she was nervous, she tried to keep her calm as her father's eyes bore into her own. _

_"Y-yes, Papa..."_

_"Good," Akihiro Ichinose said firmly. "As I was saying, you will be taking lessons about-"_

_The rest of his words became history. Tsukino didn't want to go with the details anymore. She didn't like any of them, but she had no other choice since she was the only heiress to their company. Tokiya Ichinose, her older brother, was on his way to stardom as a singer while she, Tsukino Ichinose, was on her way to stardom as a chief executive officer. _

o o o

After her bath, Tsukino went back in her room. She got dressed, fixed her hair as well as her room, and refreshed herself once more with a cup of Jasmin tea. The drama from earlier forced her to go back home earlier than she should. The sudden turbulence stressed her mentally and emotionally, and school work would be too much to handle from her previous condition.

By now, she was starting to feel at ease. The bath and the tea helped a lot, and she was quite sure that she could attend school tomorrow. She just hoped she wouldn't stumble upon that guy with the blue eyes again. If that happened, it would be really unfortunate (to her, that is). She didn't know how to face him after all that she had done to him. She didn't even know the guy, for Konomi's sake. Ah, she should just apologize to him and end the matter.

As she was about to get another cup of tea, there were four low knocks on the door. She gave the person the permission to come in, and much to her surprise, it was her father's assistant, Mina Kouki, who peeked inside with a warm and pretty smile.

"Good afternoon, Tsukino-sama," she said cheerily. "Your father told me that he wants to talk to you ASAP."

Tsukino paused for a second, but a short smile appeared on her face afterwards.

"Alright."

_'Ah, Tsukino,'_ she thought as she made her way towards her father's office. _'Prepare to taste another bit of hell.'_

o o o

3.

_The following days were toture for her._

_Her father trained her to become the perfect lady in the fastest yet the most difficult ways possible. She attended various lessons which wasn't appropriate for her young age._

_In everyday of her life, she never stopped cursing the gods she once believed in. Everything became a flash before her eyes, but one thing was clear in her mind._

_Her brother got to live his dream, and on the other hand, she got to live the life she never wanted._

_And as each day passed by, her feelings- anger, rage, sorrow, depression- continued to build up in her mind until she completely lost her real identity._

_Born from those emotions was Tsukino Ichinose possessing an empty vessel._

o o o

"Step inside, Tsukino."

Sitting on the large, black swivel chair with a small smile on his face was Akihiro Ichinose, Tsukino's father. For a 42-year-old man, he was incredibly handsome; his physical features were complete with a neat, dark hair, chiselled face, and gem-like eyes. A very successful business man, a highly respected and influential person, and, of course, a lady's man- Tsukino still couldn't believe that he was every one of those.

In short, her father was simply the epitome of perfection- the one she would never be.

"So..." he said in a tone masked with forced joy. "How are you, dear?"

Tsukino kept her sweet smile. She was nervous, for there was a possibility that her making a sharp comment was dangerously high.

"I'm fine, Father. Thank you for asking," she finally responded.

"Glad to hear that," he returned her smile with an equally fake one.

Silence followed his words. It was killing Tsukino from the inside. With this suspenseful situation, she wouldn't be able to keep her cool. She might explode any minute now. If none of them talks, she'll definitely-

"Anyway, Tsukino, I'd like to tell you something," Thank the gods, her father spoke. "It's about your fiancé."

Even for just a second, Tsukino felt quite relieved. Well, she didn't feel surprised at all. She just had the feeling that he would say that, since lately, she didn't get any chance to meet her current fiancé. There was no communication between them. She guessed her husband-to-be might have done something wrong, which, of course, caused the sudden decision of her old man to cancel their marriage.

And, probably, he even got a new one for her.

"I decided to cancel your marriage with Kei Takishima-kun and-

(She has to admit, Tsukino likes that guy, but she also happens to know about his feelings for... _another _girl. The awful truth hurts a tad bit.)

"I already arranged everything for you and the next candidate."

Tsukino sighed inwardly. Honestly, she was getting tired with all the things in her life. Why couldn't Akihiro Ichinose accept the fact that no one could be as perfect as he was and let his daughter decide which guy she wanted to marry?

"I understand, Father," she said as she kept her voice on a proper tone even though she was already starting to feel mad again. "When will I meet the new one?"

"Tonight at 7 p.m.," he answered. "The two of us are going to meet him and his parents at this fancy restaurant in Tokyo."

She almost rolled her eyes away. "Alright. I shall start preparing right away."

"Do you have any other questions?"

At first, she was hesitant to ask, but curiosity won against her.

"What's the name of the candidate...?"

And with question, Akihiro Ichinose seemed amused. A smile escaped from his lips, which confused Tsukino, before he replied...

"Yukimura Seiichi."

* * *

**Despy's Note: **Dun, dun, duuunnn. LOOOOL.

So, yeah, her big brother's the idol, Tokiya Ichinose from Uta no Prince-sama, and her (ex-) fiancé is Kei Takishima from Special A. Mmhm, slight crossovers. And no, Kei's not the same fiancé in the first chapter. That's a different one. Yes, she has a lot of fiancés before but they all ended up getting kicked out by Tsukino's father. Yeeep, he has a severe case of perfectionism.

The second part was from her past and the present. Bullies from her past aaand her current bullies.

Oh, and sorry for the late update, guys. Aaand this will _probably_ be my last update before this story goes hiatus (just like Ambiguous Inversion). OTL

Anyway...

**Questions, comments, opinions and critiques are welcome! Reviews, faves and alerts are very much appreciated! X)**


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